Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night Reviews
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Koji Igarashi's first proper effort since 2008's Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, is a Rococo masterwork.
Bloodstained has some mighty big shoes to fill but does so admirably. It delivers a classic, yet satisfying experience that fans have been wanting for years.
If you're into post-Symphony of the Night Castlevania, you will find with Bloodstained : Ritual of the Night what you wanted. It doesn' have the name or the same setting, but the feeling and the atmosphere are the same, with some very generous content and a lot of nods to the Konami series. It could have been a lot more polished wisually speaking, felt more of like a game of this era, but how can we be frustrated to get what Koji Igarashi and his team were expected to do ?
Review in French | Read full review
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a worthy follow up to the Castlevania games that many grew up with in terms of its exploration, but lacks some much-needed polish in the combat and animation department to truly shine as a modern gem
Koji Igarashi returns on his Kickstarter promise with Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, a beautiful and feature rich game that is a must-buy.
Although certainly rough around the edges, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a solid adventure that will please Castlevania fans who have been longing for a new game to sink their teeth into.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a Castlevania game in every aspect except name, and will satisfy anyone looking to revisit Symphony of the Night and other Metroidvania-era games.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a comfortable return for Koji Igarashi. It doesn't push any boundaries, but it's a fluid, well-crafted labor of love with tons of content and a satisfying core gameplay loop.
It's been a hot minute since the Kickstarter for Koji Igarashi's new game wrapped up and Castlevania fans have a good reason to celebrate on how this turned out.
Bloodstained finally delivers upon the promise of a modern follow-up to Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and it does so spectacularly.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a thrilling and rewarding adventure into the MetroidVania genre. It is a fantastic entry level title for those yet to familiarize themselves with the genre, and a brilliant entry of quality and character for veterans.
If you're a Metroidvania fan, this is definitely a 10/10 title, but newcomers to the series will probably not find the same joy in Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a welcome return to the exploration-heavy Castlevania games of the past.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night may have shipped with a nasty bug, and it definitely has some rage inducing boss battles, but in the end its challenges and homages to the Metroidvania genre keep it feeling rewarding and very fun to play. Just prepare to be flustered.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night shows how the Metroidvania genre can appeal to both purists and more modern players, offering something new while giving hearty nods at its roots.
Aside from technical issues, Bloodstained remains an excellent title. It's Castlevania in everything but name and fans of Igarachi's earlier work will find a lot to love between excellent combat and rewarding traversal. The Switch port is harder to recommend at present, but the game is likely to be among the console's best after a patch or two. Grab your pitchfork and torches, there's huntin' to do.
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is an excellent game in so many ways. It delivers on its promises and sets the stage for what I hope is more content to come in this new incarnation of Igarashi’s masterpiece formula. There has been a lot of outcry about the Switch version of the game, and it definitely isn’t perfect, but it’s playable for the most part. Would I recommend it over other platforms? Probably not, unless being able to play on the go is a priority for you. If Switch is your only system, then you should still absolutely play Bloodstained, but set your expectations accordingly. If anything, Bloodstained is a strong enough game that it is still worthwhile despite the technical issues it has on Switch, which is a testament to the highs it can achieve.
Plenty of things await the attentive player who keeps an eye open for goodies off the beaten path, and exploring the entire place is a thrill.
Koji Igarashi delivered exactly what he has promised – nothing more, nothing less. Although Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night isn't very innovative, nevertheless it's a joyous reminder of one of the most important video game series of all time.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Well, after playing Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night from start to finish, you can definitely tell the time and effort put into this modern classic, and potential cult hit, has nothing but love in it’s ingredients. A platformer that takes no prisoners, with a kickass female protagonist, a story of tragedy and heartbreak, and an awesome adventure it leads you on, that’s what you want out of a video game, and Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night delivers.
